Calm Before the Storm
by Packersfan12
Summary: Marissa: top military sniper, trained in the Arashikage clan, and top secret G.I. Joe soldier. But most people know her as Dead Shot, a lethal member of the Cobra organization, and the criminal partner of the notorious white ninja, Storm Shadow. Her double life starts to catch up with her, though, and she soon finds the only ones she can trust are Storm and Snake. Storm Shadow/O.C.
1. Chapter 1

"Storm? Storm Shadow?"

Her voice was muffled from the pounding in his ears, kind of like he had a pair of headphones on. She lifted his head into her lap, and the blurred image of her face was inches from him, "Storm Shadow say something to me!"

He opened his mouth, tried with all of his strength to utter three simple words he'd wanted to say to her. Three words. But his strength failed him, all of it spent on trying to keep breathing.

Men rushed into the room, and her face disappeared from his line of sight, but she didn't leave his side. With the last ounce of his strength, he reached over to grip the katana that lay at his side. He tried gripping it, but the hilt was covered in his blood and hard to hold, but he had to keep her safe.

More pain shot through his body as he tried to sit up, and more of the warm liquid pooled around him, ran down his side. A set of hands pressed against his chest, and another around his neck. He tried to struggle, tried to break the grip that was trying to kill him.

For a moment his vision focused and he saw her face peering over another person's, "It's okay, Storm," she said, "he's helping you."

Storm Shadow relaxed, his hand that gripped the katana loosened and he let his head fall back into her lap. The room blurred again, and this time he couldn't register man from wall. He still heard her voice telling him he would be okay, and her hands brushed his forehead, wiping his hair from his eyes. Again, he summoned his strength to reach up and limply grasp one of her hands. She gently squeezed it and he knew this is exactly how he wanted it to end.

More people crowded around him and he relaxed, the pain mostly subsiding.

He had protected her, like he promised himself he would, like he promised her he would. He had hoped he would have lived, so he could see her again. He wanted to see her face one last time before the end, not a blurred image of her. New pain rose in him that he was leaving her, that he wouldn't be there to protect her.

"Storm Shadow," she said, her voice right next to his ear, "don't leave me."

But he was, he could feel himself start to nod off, and the blackness at the edge of his vision started growing, tunneling his line of sight. Her hand held his tighter and she gave him a little nudge, "Stay with me, Storm Shadow." He wanted to, he wanted to stay right there where he was so bad, but his strength wouldn't let him. The blackness grew darker until his couldn't see, and he realized his eyes were shut, but he couldn't open them.

"Keep him awake!" someone shouted.

"Storm Shadow!" She shouted, "I love you!"

That was all he needed to hear, all he needed to know. He smiled, he knew he smiled, and then he let himself fall into the darkness, the pain finally all gone. He felt his head fall to the side and his hands go limp, and then, Storm Shadow was dead.

_**Okay guys here I am starting YET AGAIN another story! But in honor of Retaliation coming out today I wanted to post something, and what better thing than a Storm Shadow fanfic? I mean, I love the guy, maybe not as much as Snake Eyes, but the white ninja deserves a little lovin' too! And come on, you can't tell me you'd say no if he came up to you and asked you out, especially wet and shirtless. Yeah momma. Anyway, tell me what you guys think about this here little sneak peek into the future of this story, and if you think I should continue! Thanks my lovelies! **_


	2. Chapter 2

The first time Dead Shot laid eyes upon Storm Shadow, she had hated him. He was one of those people that you looked at and instantly hated. People may have said she was crazy because he was the sort of person women drooled over and men wanted to be. His body was ripped with muscles and he could move himself in ways many people couldn't. She didn't deny he was physically one of the most gorgeous people she'd ever seen, but that sent red flags up all over the place.

Cobra Commander had introduced them, basically saying they were partners in the Cobra organization, making her hate him even more. He had given her that cocky grin he gave everyone, and she realized he hated her just as much as she hated him.

Their first mission together was one of the most awkward feelings Dead Shot had ever felt. Watching him defeat enemies while she gunned them down was quite the sight. He moved and twisted and leapt through the air, slicing and stabbing men with his katanas. She had decided to give him a chance to be her friend because of the respect she had grown for him.

But Storm Shadow still hated her, and after her first attempt at friendship, she hated him right back. But their combined skills made them the perfect pair, and because of that they were stuck together.

"I really hate you." She finally told him once as they sat in his living room watching TV, "I just thought I'd finally let you know that."

"After months of partnership, you finally feel the need to tell me something I already know?" Storm Shadow asked, "Well the feeling is mutual."

"Good." Dead Shot said. Before she knew it, there was a blade at her throat, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I tend to kill the people who hate me." Storm Shadow said, flashing that annoying grin of his.

She slapped the blade away from his neck, and jumped up, hitting him in the chest with her palm. He stumbled back and she struck out again, but he grabbed her around the waist and threw her behind him. She landed on the sofa, knocking it over and crashed into a small table that sent a vase crashing to the floor.

Storm Shadow looked dismayed as she stood, and said, "That was my favorite vase."

"Well then you shouldn't have thrown me into it." She shot back.

Storm Shadow drew four ninja stars from his sleeves and held them up, arching an eyebrow at her. She gave him a look that challenged him to throw them at her. He sent them flying towards her, and she bent and twisted her way around them. "Not bad." Storm Shadow said.

They both clashed together, punching and kicking. Dead Shot kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing into his glass coffee table. He lept up and tackled her around the waist, picking her up and throwing her down on the counter, sending glasses and other things crashing to the floor. She grabbed a pan hanging above her and slammed it against his head, pushing him into the refrigerator. It wobbled and nearly fell over, but Storm Shadow caught it and steadied it. Dead Shot kicked him in the side, but he caught her foot, grinning at her. He pushed her back until they were in the living room again, then picked her up slamming her to the floor. She gasped for breath before he picked her up again. She struck out and punched him, and he let her go causing her to fall into the TV, sending it crashing to the floor in shards of glass and plastic.

She tried to punch him, but they both fell to the floor, not moving. Storm Shadow looked around his demolished home, turning to face her, "Can we be friends?"

"Let's."

From then on, their partnership turned into friendship.

"I bet you ten bucks you can't hit it." Dead Shot said.

Storm Shadow arched an eyebrow at her, "Make it twenty."

"Feeling risky today huh?" Dead Shot asked.

They both lay on their stomachs at Cobra's personal shooting range inside the building they had secured for their headquarters.

Storm Shadow grinned at her, "Feeling positive."

"You're going to miss."

"We'll see." He said, lowering his eye to look through the scope of Dead Shot's rifle, "Ten?"

"Ten." Dead Shot agreed.

Storm Shadow spent a couple moments aiming, before the slight pop from her rifle signalled to her he had shot. She looked at the target through her binoculars and smiled, "You missed."

"What?" Storm Shadow asked, "Let me see those." He looked through them and sighed, "That is why I use katanas."

"Ten bucks, right here, right now." Dead Shot said, holding out her hand.

"That's not very fair." a slightly accented voice said behind them, echoing through the indoor range.

Dead Shot and Storm Shadow turned to see Firefly leaning against the frame of their door, "Dead Shot is a professional sniper, Storm Shadow is just a regular old ninja."

Storm Shadow glared at him while Dead Shot stood and held her arms out to the mercenary, "Firefly, it's been too long."

"Dead Shot," Firefly nodded, "Still looking as good as ever."

She rubbed his chin, "You're not as scruffy as I last saw you."

"It's the new shaving cream."

"Why are you here?" Storm Shadow asked.

"Calm down crouching tiger hidden dragon," Firefly said, "Captain Commando told me to find you kids, he has a mission for you."

Dead Shot sighed, "Finally we get some action here, I've been so bored."

"Call me anytime sweetheart, I'll give you the action you need." Firefly said, winking. Dead Shot shot him a look and he held up his hands, "I was talking about giving you a ride on my motorcycle." This time he grinned.

Dead Shot couldn't help but crack a grin, and she motioned for Storm Shadow to follow her to find Cobra Commander. As she passed him, she whispered in Firefly's ear, "Storm Shadow's sword gets me every time."

Firefly laughed out loud, clapping Storm Shadow on the shoulder. Dead Shot didn't look back, but she knew Storm Shadow would be staring at her back in confusion, and Firefly would be grinning at the both of them.

_**Now to answer all of your awesome reviews about if Storm Shadow is dead or not, I can't tell you! Please don't hate me! Now this chapter is a little slow, but I promise it'll start picking up! I brought Firefly into this story because he's one of my favorite Cobras! He's also pretty awesome in Retaliation too! I can't thank you enough for reviewing my story, I love all of you already!**_


	3. Chapter 3

"Cobra Commander." Storm Shadow said as he and Dead Shot stood before him, "To what do we owe this honor?"

"I have a mission for you." Cobra Commander's voice hissed from behind his mask, "A very important one."

"And what might that be?" Dead Shot asked.

"There is a man, an ex-Cobra operative, running freely." Cobra Commander started, "He has leaked information about the Cobra organization to the Joes. I want him dead. Can you handle this mission?"

Always straight and to the point.

"Of course sir." Dead Shot said.

"Do not fail me." Cobra Commander said.

"Have we ever?" Dead Shot asked, faking a punch to his arm. He stood with his arms behind his back, his head faced toward her. She imagined he was glaring behind his mask.

"Remember what I said." Cobra Commander hissed, "Now leave me."

"Yes sir." Storm Shadow bowed his head and with that they left.

"Always short and to the point." Dead Shot muttered as she and Storm Shadow left Cobra Commander's quarters.

"He doesn't want to talk to us, and we don't want to talk to him." Storm Shadow said.

Dead Shot returned to the shooting range to get her sniper rifle while Storm Shadow retreated to his room to retrieve his ninja gear.

When Dead Shot arrived, she found Firefly lying on his stomach, shooting at the targets with her rifle. She watched him for a while, mostly in utter disbelief that he would actually touch her rifle, before she kicked his foot. Firefly jumped and twisted around, his face changing from surprise to snarkiness, "I was just testing out the old pig here."

"I'm sure you were." Dead Shot said, "You better not have adjusted anything."

"I swear on my life that I didn't touch anything." Firefly said dramatically, holding a hand over his heart.

"So if I miss this guy I'm supposed to kill, I can kill you instead?" She asked.

"Sure thing sweetheart." he said.

Dead Shot moved past him to pick up her rifle, looking out at the targets as she did so. She stood up in surprise, holding the rifle with the butt end on her hip, "I'll be damned."

Each target was hit in the red.

Firefly stood and crossed his arms, looking at the targets with her, "Didn't think I could shoot did you, sweetheart?"

She arched an eyebrow, "I knew you could shoot, just not that good."

"Let's have a little friendly competition." He said, "If I hit all the targets in the bullseye, I get to take you out somewhere of my choosing."

Dead Shot knew she was the better shooter, and she scoffed at Firefly's idea, "Fine, but if I win, you have to do me a favor."

"Sounds like a bet." Firefly said.

"Let's do this then, I have a mission to go on." Dead Shot loaded her rifle, "Out of the sheer kindness of my heart, I will let you go first."

"Well isn't that just the sweetest thing." Firefly said, clutching his chest, "It just touches my heart."

"I'm glad."

"Five shots, one for each target. That's all we get to hit the targets in the red." Firefly said.

"Five shots." She agreed.

"No matter what." Firefly said.

"No matter what."

They both got down on their stomachs, and Firefly took the rifle from Dead Shot, grinning as he did so. She rolled her eyes and said, "Don't break it."

Firefly took a solid minute before he finally shot. The first target he hit straight in the bullseye, making Dead Shot raise her eyebrows. He shot again, and hit all four targets in the red.

"Nicely done, you might be the next top sniper." Dead Shot said.

"I think I already am."

"You wish." she said, taking her rifle from him. She easily hit four targets in the red, arching an eyebrow at Firefly, who just cockily grinned back at her. She looked back through the scope, and lightly pulled the trigger. As she did so, Firefly kicked her leg, causing her to hit the black outter rim of the target.

"You ass!" she said, punching his arm, "I get to re-shoot."

"Nope," he smiled smugly, "we agreed five shots no matter what."

"You little-" she stopped herself from insulting him further, her profanity having been given a whole new vocabulary in the military, "You tricked me."

He feigned hurt, "You think I did that on purpose? It was a muscle spasm." he grabbed his thigh, "From riding my bike all day."

"You poor thing." she muttered.

Firefly smiled devilishly, "I'll meet you at seven tonight sweetheart."

She glared at him, "I can't guarentee I'll be back."

"You will be." Firefly said, standing, "Go get 'em tiger."

She rolled her eyes at his wink and said, "Thanks."

She left the range to find Storm Shadow, Firefly's dark eyes following her every step of the way.

_**Okay, I promise there will be more Storm Shadow/Dead Shot action in the next chapter! But I'm setting up plots for the rest of the story now! Woo! I'm excited about this story, so stay with me. If you haven't heard of my other story, Alone, by now, go check it out! It's involving Snake Eyes, and things are going down right now, it's pretty intense! Thank you everyone who is following this story, I hope to see you at the end of it! :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you going to shoot him or not?" Storm Shadow asked.

Dead Shot sighed, looking through the scope of her sniper rifle, "Give me some time."

"You've been like this for five minutes."

"Two and a half." She said, "Now be quiet so I can get this guy."

The informant was seated at a table near a cafe in a mall in London, facing the wall of Shot and Storm Shadow laid on their stomachs in a parking garage directly across from where he sat. She had a perfect aim at his head and took a deep breath. He sipped his coffee and started folding up his newspaper, getting ready to leave. Dead Shot gently pulled the trigger of her rifle and there was a small pop as the gun fired. No glass broke because of the bullet's design. The informant's head snapped backward, and he and his chair toppled over.

People started getting up to see if he was okay.

"I think that's our cue." Storm Shadow said when a woman started screaming covering her mouth with her hands.

Dead Shot and Storm Shadow crawled backwards and ducked behind a parked car. Dead Shot took apart her rifle, placing the pieces into a case. She looked up at Storm Shadow, "Shall we?"

"I do like my London home." Storm Shadow said, "Get in the car."

Dead Shot climbed into the passenger's seat of Storm Shadow's black Nissan GTR. She turned to him as he pulled out of the parking garage, "Very unnoticeable."

"It's my favorite car." Storm Shadow shrugged, flashing her a grin. Dead Shot rolled her eyes, ignoring the jump her stomach did. Every time he smiled odd feelings rose in her chest. She ignored them in the beginning, but now they were starting to get stronger. It angered her more than anything, because she knew he was the enemy. She had tried her hardest to detach herself from the Cobras, not wanting to make any relationships with any of them. She was a G.I. Joe after all.

Dead Shot sighed, "I need to get back to the Cobra base."

Storm Shadow snorted, maneuvering around slow traffic, "Why, I thought you hated the base."

"Oh I do." Dead Shot said, "But I have a date with Firefly tonight."

"A date?" Storm Shadow asked, wrinkling his face, "With Firefly?"

"He tricked me into it." Dead Shot said, "It's not like I'm looking forward to it or anything."

"Sure." Storm Shadow said, waggling his eyebrows. She didn't miss the brief look that passed through his eyes. What was it? Anger?

"Would it be bad to say I'm kind of excited?" Dead Shot asked, trying to get a rise out of Storm Shadow. It was no secret he and the explosives expert had it out for each other.

"Excited?" he asked, "To go on a date with the likes of him?"

"Then who should I go on a date with?" Dead Shot asked, masking her grin.

"I don't know, but not him." Storm Shadow said, turning the car into a long driveway. The black gates at the end of the driveway opened, and Storm Shadow sped up the driveway, parking in front of the large house.

"Nice place you got here." Dead Shot said.

"I bet Firefly doesn't have a house like this." She heard him mutter. Dead Shot smirked getting out of the car and pretending she hadn't heard him.

"Since you have an all important date, I'll get the jet ready." Storm Shadow said.

Dead Shot rolled her eyes and entered the house, going straight to the kitchen. She found herself always hungry. She opened the fridge and found it filled with...nothing. Dead Shot groaned, "Storm Shadow do you eat nothing?"

"I'm never hungry." The white ninja said, striding through the room.

Dead Shot turned to him, "Well I am, do you have anything here?"

"You can eat on the jet."

She glared at him, "Fine."

"And anyway," he said, leading her outside to where a jet sat waiting, "Firefly will probably take you somewhere nice won't he?"

"You just won't let that go will you?" Dead Shot asked, "Do I hear a hint of jealousy from you Storm Shadow?"

"Jealousy?" he laughed, "As if."

"Thanks." Dead Shot muttered.

Storm Shadow turned to her, "You know what I meant."

"Get on the jet." Dead Shot said, pushing him.

"How did you manage getting yourself on a date with him anyway?" Storm Shadow asked.

"Oh my gosh, Storm Shadow." Dead Shot laughed, "It was a shooting challenge, and I lost."

"How did you lose exactly?" Storm Shadow said, "You're a sniper."

"He kicked my leg and made me miss the target."

"Then re-shoot."

"I couldn't." Dead Shot said, "It was five shots, no matter what."

"And you trusted him?" Storm Shadow asked.

"Okay, it might not have been the smartest thing I've ever done, but," Dead Shot said, holding up a finger, "at least I got a date out of it."

Storm Shadow rolled his eyes, and the jet started to hover over the ground, rising into the air. The engines turned, and soon they were flying back to the base.

Dead Shot sat and shoved popcorn into her mouth as fast as she could, Storm Shadow watching her with curiosity, "How do you eat so much?"

"I didn't have breakfast." Dead Shot shrugged.

Finally they arrived back at base, the engines turning downward to hover them to the ground instead of landing at an air strip. Firefly was waiting at the doors of the base, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"I told you you'd be back." Firefly said.

"Where are we going?" Dead Shot asked.

Firefly handed her a helmet and said, "You'll see in a little bit Fido."

"We're riding on that thing?" She asked, pointing at his motorcycle.

"Thing?" He asked, grabbing his chest, "This right here is my baby."

Dead Shot rolled her eyes, sitting on the back of Firefly's motorcycle, "I don't need a helmet thank you very much."

Firefly grinned, "My kind of girl."

She rolled her eyes again and gingerly wrapped her arms around him as he sat. The motor roared to life and they pulled out of the base. Dead Shot looked back before they left and saw Storm Shadow watching them, his arms crossed.

Dead Shot started to relax, the landscape rushing past them as Firefly kicked it into high gear. She saw the city approaching and figured they would go out to eat, not minding that thought at all. But as they passed the skyscrapers and exited the city, she began to grow curious.

"Firefly!" She shouted, "Where the hell are you taking me?"

"To one of the best spots in the world." Firefly responded, giving her a grin.

They rode for ten more minutes on a two lane road, before Firefly pulled onto a small dirt road that lead up a steep hill. He parked in a small clearing with a single picnic table in the middle, the bushes giving way to a view of the city. Firefly turned the motorcycle off and swung himself off. He offered a hand to Dead Shot, who took it and hopped off.

"Ok, you going to tell me what we're doing?" Dead Shot asked.

Firefly opened the small pack he had strapped to his bike, and pulled out a loaf of bread, strawberry jelly, and peanut butter, "I thought we could have a nice pb&j sandwich, while watching a beautiful view of the sunset."

Dead Shot smiled. She actually smiled while on a date with Firefly. It was so simple, yet so profound. Every date she'd ever been on, the guy had taken her to a movie or a fancy restaurant to show off to her in hopes of getting lucky. But Firefly's version of a date was so simple, she hated to admit that it was romantic.

"Well," she said sitting next to him on the picnic table, "I have to admit I didn't see this one coming."

"What'd you expect?" He asked, biting into his sandwich.

"I don't know," Dead Shot said, doing the same, "a sappy movie and fancy restaurant I guess. The same old, same old."

"I'm too broke." Firefly said, "And I can't sit through a movie to save my life."

"But you can sit here and watch the sunset?" She asked.

Firefly smiled, an actual genuine smile, "I guess it calms me down. The best part, though, is after the sun is down."

"Why?"

"You'll see, sweetheart." Firefly said, his eyes lit by the setting sun.

Dead Shot couldn't help but admit that the scene was beautiful. The beauty took her breath away, the way the sun hit the buildings making it look like they were on fire. She felt sorry for all the cars driving, for all the people who were missing it.

Finally the sun was gone, and Dead Shot and Firefly were still seated on the picnic table, telling jokes.

"Okay, okay," Dead Shot laughed, "Two olives were walking on a mountain. One falls off a cliff, and the other says, 'are you alright?'. The one that fell says, "olive!" Dead Shot said, bursting out laughing, "Get it? Olive, I'll live?" They both laughed hysterically.

When their laughter died down, Firefly suddenly jumped up, scaring Dead Shot. She put a hand to her heart and said, "What the hell?"

"They're here." He said, an excited boyish smile coming to his face.

"Who?" She asked, looking around frantically for a gang.

"Them." He said, pointing her head towards the bushes. At first she didn't see anything, but suddenly she saw a bright yellow light. Gradually, more lights became visible, floating through the bushes around them.

"Fireflies." She whispered.

"I used to catch them in jars when I was a kid." Firefly said, "I always thought they were these goofy little things. They brought me peace when my parents were fighting. I guess they were my escape from everything. It sounds weird because they're just bugs, but I love them."

Dead Shot listened to him with fascination. Hearing him open up about himself was so rare that she usually just ignored every piece of bullshit he fed her. But the way his voice softened, and the look on his face when a firefly landed on his hand was something she couldn't ignore.

He looked up at her and laughed softly, "Sorry if it was boring."

"Are you kidding me?" She asked, "This was the most fun I've had all day."

"You mean shooting people wasn't fun?"

"Well it was only one guy." Dead Shot shrugged, "And plus you brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, what's not to love about that?"

Firefly grinned again, "I suppose I should probably get you back to base."

They packed up and drove back to the base, the city lights and cars all a blur. When they arrived, Dead Shot hopped off, Firefly staying on.

"You're not coming inside?" Dead Shot asked.

"Do I get to come to your room?"

"No."

"Then no." Firefly said, "I have a few things I need to do yet tonight."

Dead Shot leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks, Firefly."

"Anytime, sweetheart." Firefly said, and drove away.

_**So I'm sorry about the wait guys! Things have been so busy! I just moved into college, so my time has been pretty occupied, but I've managed this for you! Don't worry, there's more Storm Shadow action coming up!**_


End file.
